New £1.1 million creative programme launches to address loneliness in the West ofEngland

Arts and culture are at the heart of a major new regional programme to reduce loneliness –

with an ambition to help over 4,000 people to feel less isolated over the next two and a half

years.

Launching with events across the region throughout the week of the 23 rd March – including

a musical bus in the Mendips – All Together Now is a new initiative bringing arts, culture and

creativity to ‘forgotten postcodes’ and communities across the West of England. It aims to

help people in these communities to feel a stronger sense of belonging, while also creating

more than 100 roles for freelance creatives.

The new programme is being led by the St Monica Trust and delivered by a consortium of

local partners led by Bristol Beacon. Bristol Beacon will work alongside local organisations to

help connect residents with creative activities and remove barriers to participation.

The first-of-its-kind programme will run until July 2028 in six communities identified as

having a higher risk of loneliness. This includes four geographic communities covering both

urban and rural areas – Stockwood, Charfield, Somer Valley and the Mendip Villages – as

well as older people from Global Majority backgrounds and disabled young people.

Creative activities will take place in locations ranging from local community centres to

shopping centres, churches and village halls to pubs and train stations. The activities will

include things like music, theatre, storytelling, visual arts, movement, photography and

creative writing. Each community will shape its own programme, deciding what activities

they want and how they happen locally. Critically, the programme will also support skills

development in the region and provide employment to local artists, musicians and creatives.

All Together Now is the flagship programme of the West of England Impact Alliance, a

collaboration of more than 50 organisations including health, culture, councils, universities,

funders and community groups, working together to address loneliness with long-term

regional impact.

The £1.1 million in funding comes from St Monica Trust, Arts Council England, The West of

England Combined Authority, Bristol Beacon, the Grateful Society, and Sirona Care & Health.

Between now and 2028, All Together Now intends to:

• Help over 4,000 people to feel less isolated

• Support around 1,300 people to take part in regular creative activity

• Train 90 volunteers

• Create 18 paid trainee roles

• Provide paid opportunities for over 100 freelance creative practitioners

David Williams, chief executive of the St Monica Trust, said: “The challenge of making

meaningful change within our communities is highly complex and cannot be achieved by a

single funder, organisation or sector. Through the St Monica Trust’s partnership with local

communities, charities and other organisations, initiatives like All Together Now can address

the causes of loneliness and maximise our impact, rather than individual grants acting as a

sticking plaster for societal issues.”

Simon Wales, chief executive, Bristol Beacon, said: “Arts and culture have a powerful role to

play in bringing people together. Recognising the creativity and talent we have in our region,

this programme will support communities, artists and practitioners to build new

connections through music, art and shared experiences, and participate in cultural activities

that they have helped to shape so they reflect their own identities and interests.”

Helen Godwin, Mayor of the West of England, said: “Loneliness and isolation have a

devastating effect on people across our region. This fantastic programme aims to show the

power that partnership, innovation and creativity have to strengthen social connection,

improve wellbeing, and build more connected communities. Regional funding is supporting

All Together Now, helping young people into training and providing new opportunities for

more than 100 local creatives.”

Phil Gibby, area director, Arts Council England South West, said:

“We are pleased to award £250,000 in Place Partnership Funds to St Monica Trust as the

lead partner of All Together Now, an ambitious crosssector initiative designed to tackle

social isolation and strengthen the region’s future creative workforce. From Stockwood to

Somer Valley, Charfield to the Mendip Hills, this investment - combined with the expertise

of partners across culture, health, and wellbeing - will ensure those most at risk of loneliness

are supported across the south west.

“All Together Now demonstrates placebased working at its most effective: cross-sector

innovators uniting to confront societal challenges and create lasting change. It’s thanks to

National Lottery players that the Arts Council can invest in programmes like this across the

country – and we hope this is just the start of a more inclusive future here in the West of

England.”

Find out more: https://impact-alliance.org.uk/all-together-now